North East RadioWatch: October 16, 1997

Shelton Leaves WBOS

by Scott Fybush

• One of Boston's best-known morning men is searching for a new radio home this week. Ken Shelton's contract with Greater Media's WBOS (92.9 Brookline) expires at the end of this month and will not be renewed.

  Shelton has been at WBOS since 1995, when he was let go from Infinity classic rocker WZLX (100.7), where he had been for two years after a lengthy stint at WBCN (104.1). Shelton's brand of personality-driven morning radio was at odds with the "morning music station" image WBOS PD Jim Herron has been crafting at the station.

  There's no word yet on a successor for Shelton; WBOS is planning to use celebrities to fill in for several weeks. There's also no word on Shelton's future plans following his last show Friday morning.

• Other news from MASSACHUSETTS: The unlicensed broadcaster known as "Rebel Music Radio" has landed on yet another frequency. After leaving 89.3 and briefly contemplating a move to 95.7, RMR will soon begin operating with slightly-reduced power. RMR founder "Ozone Pilot" says 105.3 was the best channel available, especially since any listeners to co-channel WXBB Kittery, Maine can hear the same programming on WXBP (102.1) Hampton, N.H. if RMR gets in the way.

  It took a while, but Greater Media's country station is once again legally WKLB-FM (99.5 Lowell-Boston). The call change was delayed when WKLB moved from 96.9 this summer, and 99.5 was forced to bury a quiet "WOAZ Lowell-Boston" each hour till now.

  Out in central Massachusetts, there's a new addition to the shrinking roster of live, local AM radio. Ed Skutnik has regained control of Greenfield's WGAM after selling it and sister FM WRSI (95.3), and he's now programming WGAM (1520) with a live format featuring lesser-known oldies from the 50s, 60s, and 70s. Also up in Franklin County, Northfield's WNMH (91.5) is once again doing live student programming from Northfield-Mt. Hermon School weekdays after 2 PM. The "Radio One" CHR satellite service still fills the off hours.

  Summer Arbitrons are beginning to roll in...starting with Boston, where WBZ (1030) built on its 12+ lead to check in with an 8.4, an unusual summertime gain for a news-talker. Trading spots are CHR WXKS-FM (107.9), now in second, and CHurban WJMN (94.5), now in third.

• On to MAINE, where one of New England's oldest family-owned broadcasters is calling it quits after seventy-two years. The Maine Broadcasting System traces its roots to Henry Rines, who founded WCSH radio as a promotional vehicle for his Congress Square Hotel in Portland back in 1925. In later years, the company would add WLBZ radio in Bangor, followed in the fifties by TV outlets in both cities. (The radio stations were later sold off and are now WZAN (970) Portland and WZON (620) Bangor).

  This week, Rines' grandson, Frederic Thompson, told staffers at WCSH-TV (Channel 6) and WLBZ-TV (Channel 2) that he's selling the stations to Gannett, giving the media giant its first Maine holdings. Elswehere in the region, Gannett owns newspapers in Connecticut, Vermont, and upstate New York, along with WGRZ-TV (Channel 2) in Buffalo. The company is not related to Maine-based Guy Gannett, which owns TV and newspaper properties across southern Maine.

  The purchase price was not announced, and Thompson says no layoffs are planned. WCSH-TV has long been the top-rated news outlet in Portland, while WLBZ-TV is in second place behind WABI-TV (Channel 5) in Bangor.

  Over at Portland country outlet WPOR (101.9/1490), John Bryant (known on-air as John Shannon) has been named program director; he replaces Tom Hennessey, who resigned this summer. Bryant had been production director at WPOR.

  And in Harpswell, the local cable access channel says it's going LPTV. An article in the local daily paper says the channel will be available over-the-air within a few months; so far, NERW's seen no sign in the FCC database of any LPTV license in Harpswell. We'll keep you posted...

• Majac Broadcasting is making some big moves in one NEW YORK market. After selling its properties in the Flint, Michigan area, Majac is spending $6.7 million to become one of the major owners in the Binghamton market. For $6 million, Majac gets Enterprise Radio Partners' hot AC WMRV (105.7 Endicott), AC WMXW (103.3 Vestal), and sports WENE (1430 Endicott), and for another $675,000 Majac gets rocker WKGB (92.5 Susquehanna PA) from KG Broadcasting. The stations draw a total of more than a third of the Binghamton market's revenue.

  Up in the Glens Falls market, hot AC WNYQ (105.7 Queensbury) could have to move its tower, if neighbors in the town of Moreau get their way. They've won the latest round of a court fight to get "Wink" to stop using its 500-foot tower on Grant Mountain. At issue is the certificate of occupancy issued to the station a year ago. Neighbors argued that the tower was a commercial structure that should not have received a permit in a "rural preservation" zone. Now a state Supreme Court justice has agreed, ordering the certificate to be revoked. WNYQ owner Bradmark Broadcasting is appealing the ruling. The company owns most of the rest of the market as well, including WHTR (107.1 Hudson Falls), the former CHR station that's gone oldies under the "Wheels 107" nickname. Expect new calls there shortly.

  From the Spring book: Buffalo rocker WGRF (96.9) solidified its number-one standing, followed by a surging news-talk WBEN (930), which should do even better in the Fall book now that it's Bills season. WBEN rose from fourth in Spring, aided by an afternoon programming switch that brought back Buffalo veteran Sandy Beach.

  On the translator front: Just a few days after Pensacola's WPCS filed for an 89.7 relayer in Elmira, public broadcaster WEOS (89.7 Geneva) has filed a petition to deny. WEOS says its listeners to the south could experience interference from the Elmira translator.

  Nice day for a Wease wedding: Rochester morning institution Alan Levin, better known as "Brother Wease," tied the knot last weekend in a ceremony at Rochester's downtown convention center attended by more than 400 guests. It's the third marriage for the 50-year-old WCMF (96.5) jock, and the first for bride Doreen Brady.

  From the obituaries: Joel Loy, the Rochester-based reporter whose career ranged from local WOKR (Channel 13) to "Inside Edition," died on Saturday of lung cancer. Loy went to work at WOKR in 1969, starting as a photographer and moving up to reporting, then hosting the local edition of "PM Magazine." That led to PM Magazine duties at Washington's WTTG (Channel 5), and then to eight years with Inside Edition. Loy was 50 years old.

• In CONNECTICUT, WZMX (93.7 Hartford) morning man Sebastian will devote Friday's show to the memory of executive producer Chris Shannon, who died last weekend at age 25. This will be Sebastian's first show since Shannon's death; the program was in reruns the rest of the week.

  WTIC (1080) topped the Hartford summer ratings, knocking AC WRCH (100.5) out of the 12+ lead. Country WWYZ (92.5) stayed solid at third.

• Three RHODE ISLAND stations are looking for new program directors. Chris Shebel left CHR WPRO-FM (92.3 Providence) this week for a new gig at WVTY (96.1) in Pittsburgh. Across town at rocker WHJY (94.1) and AC WSNE (93.3 Taunton, Mass.), PD Bill Weston is Big Apple-bound, to program rocker WAXQ (104.3).

  WHJY posted strong gains (more than a point and a half) in the Summer book to end up in first place, ahead of WPRO-FM, which dropped more than two points to fall from first to fourth 12+.

  Middletown's 100.3 has a new format and nickname. WDGF became classic rocker "The Hawk" last Friday morning, dropping its dance format and "Beat" moniker. NERW suspects new owner Citadel is trying to shave a point or two off the ratings of competing SFX rocker WHJY. New calls are expected soon.

• From NEW HAMPSHIRE, new calls for Rochester's "Oldies 96.7." The station formerly known as WSRI is now officially WQSO.

  Manchester's WKBR (1250) has been on and off the air all week. WKBR made a return earlier in the week to its simulcast of AAA WXRV (92.5 Haverhill, Mass.) instead of One-on-0ne Sports, which ran for only a few days.

  Manchester's WRND (91.7) will need a new authorization to remain silent. The Notre Dame College station left the air April 8, with authority to remain silent for six months. It's now for sale, and must return to the air by April 1998 to keep the license.

  Nashua's WMVU (900) has a new Web site, along with one for sister stations WPEP and WNSH (1570 Taunton and Beverly, Mass.). Gone from AM 900 is the "Woody and Al" afternoon talk show, which airs for the last time Friday.

• And this from VERMONT: Lyndon's WGMT has made the move to its new home on 97.7. It happened one week ago today, and already there's word from the Northeast Kingdom of interference between WGMT and co-channel CHOM Montreal. WGMT keeps the hot AC format it had on 98.3.

• Just outside the region, but worth mentioning: In Reading, Pennsylvania, WEEU wants to move off the crowded 850 channel to a new home on 830. If its application is approved, WEEU would move from its current site northwest of town (which is about to be redeveloped as a shopping center) to a new five-tower array far to the northwest, alongside I-78 near Shartlesville. Day power would be 5kW (up from one), with 6kW at night. And Canada could soon get its first expanded-band operation. Radio Asia Canada has applied for 1670 kHz in Toronto. NERW wonders how the CRTC will view expanded-band applications at a time when Canada seems to be abandoning the AM dial as fast as it can.

That's this week's report; we'll see you here again next Thursday!